CLINIC's 2024 Annual Report

A Message From Our Executive Director

As we reflect on 2024, I am proud to share the progress we have made in strengthening the foundation that will support our future growth and success. This year, CLINIC focused on laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability, ensuring that our structure, policies, and practices are not only responsive to today’s needs but also prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

Much of our work this year took place behind the scenes, where we invested in essential systems and processes that will allow us to serve our growing network more effectively. We made significant strides in refining our Field Engagement and Operations, working to better understand the diverse needs of our Affiliates and adjust our support systems accordingly. We worked on advocacy campaigns on some issues that may not be at the top of the news cycle but have great consequences for immigrant communities. And we continued to grow projects aimed at deepening and expanding capacity for immigration legal services providers across the nation, in keeping with our goal to ensure that all immigrants have access to quality, affordable legal representation.

At the heart of our efforts was a commitment to strategic growth. We focused on creating the systems and structures that will allow us to meet the increasing demand for our services while continuing to foster the dynamic, supportive environment that has always been at the core of CLINIC’s mission.

The work we accomplished in 2024 is setting the stage for a future where we can not only meet the needs of our current Affiliates but also expand our reach and impact. We are excited for what lies ahead and are confident that the steps we took this year will serve as the solid foundation for the work yet to come.

I am deeply grateful for the dedication of our team and the continued support of our partners and Affiliates. Together, we are building a sustainable future that will support immigrant communities for years to come, in line with our mission to live the Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25: 35).

Our Work in 2024: Unbreakable Foundation, Sustained Growth, Boundless Faith

Strategizing for Sustainability

In describing CLINIC’s work in 2024, Jeremy Weitz, CLINIC’s director of communications, uses the image of a building’s foundation.

“When you’re trying to maintain a home or building, you need to focus on the foundation first,” he says. “You can try to build up, to grow the house in height or width, but if the foundation isn’t stable, you’re not going to get anywhere.”

Similarly, he reflected, in 2024 CLINIC responded to a growing demand for our services by spending time furnishing our “foundation” – our structure, policies, and practices that allow us to serve the network well and are critical to its functioning.

Innovating for Impact

“Dynamic.” “Innovative.” “Collaborative.” “Cohesive.”

These were the words that Shaila Rahman, associate director of Training and Technical assistance, used to describe her team’s work in 2024.

CLINIC’s Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) department focuses on providing legal training and program management support to the CLINIC network and other partners.

Across the CLINIC network, made up of 430 Affiliate offices in 49 states in 2024, immigration legal services professionals work hard to provide the best services possible to low-income immigrant clients.

Keeping the Faith

In 2024, CLINIC’s Religious Immigration Services (RIS) department continued the uphill battle that began in 2023, when a major policy change was announced which led to significant delays in visa processing times for religious workers.

CLINIC’s RIS department serves priests, brothers, sisters, and other workers who come to the United States from abroad to provide pastoral work and other critical services like education and healthcare to U.S. communities. The policy change announced in early 2023 led to significant disruption in services to U.S. communities provided by religious workers, as many had to return to their home countries once their visa validity expired.

Work With Big Impact

CLINIC’s advocacy section works on a wide variety of concerns facing immigrants, some which are news flashpoints, like asylum and border policies, and others which never make headlines but affect the lives of millions of immigrants across the United States.

One less publicized issue they work on is access to citizenship. In 2023, it was estimated that 9 million immigrants in the United States were eligible to become U.S. citizens, but each year only a fraction of that number go through the process of gaining citizenship, due to financial or other logistical barriers. Citizenship confers many benefits for immigrants, such as long-term stability, the ability to vote, and the ability to sponsor other family members to come to the United States. But, as an expensive and lengthy process, it falls out of reach for many.

Growing Projects To Expand Capacity

Three CLINIC projects focused on expanding and deepening capacity at community-based legal services organizations were thriving and growing in 2024. These were the Mentorship Project (MP), the Recent Arrivals Capacity Building Initiative (RACBMI), and the Immigration Legal Services Support Project (ILSSP).

The Mentorship Project was founded in 2023 as an effort to provide guidance from CLINIC expert attorneys to legal practitioners across the network working on tough immigration cases who want to expand their knowledge and experience in immigration law. The CLINIC staff meet directly with selected mentees to walk through the cases step by step, from filing applications to engaging in mock hearings with clients to prepare them for court.

"The work we accomplished in 2024 is setting the stage for a future where we can not only meet the needs of our current Affiliates but also expand our reach and impact."
Anna Gallagher, Executive Director

2024 Finances

Revenues	Excluding In-Kind Contributions	Percentage	Including In-Kind Contributions	Percentage
Awards	$2,450,049	9.8%	$2,450,049	9.7%
Federal & State Awards	$15,769,711	63.0%	$15,769,711	62.7%
USCCB Support	$1,221,418	4.9%	$1,221,418	4.9%
Services	$3,463,914	13.8%	$3,463,914	13.8%
Other Contributions	$756,504	3.0%	$756,504	3.0%
In-Kind Contributions	-	0.0%	$102,987	0.4%
Other Income	$1,370,102	5.5%	$1,370,102	5.5%
Total:	$25,031,698	100%	$25,134,685	100%

Expenses
Program	$22,403,974	89.7%	$22,506,961	89.7%
Management & General	$2,099,097	8.4%	$2,099,097	8.4%
Fundraising	$467,663	1.9%	$467,663	1.9%
Total:	$24,970,734	100%	$25,073,721	100%

Program Expenses
Education & Network Growth	$19,352,896	86.4%	$19,452,607	86.4%
Direct Representation	$1,662,926	7.4%	$1,662,926	7.4%
Advocacy & Community Engagement	$1,388,152	6.2%	$1,391,428	6.2%
Total:	$22,403,974	100%	$22,506,961	100%

CLINIC Board of Directors 2024

Most Reverend Jaime Soto, BOARD CHAIR, Bishop of Sacramento
Ms. Marguerite (Peg) Harmon, VICE PRESIDENT, Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona (Retired)
Sister Sally Duffy, SC TREASURER, Child Poverty Collaborative
Ms. Anna Marie Gallagher, SECRETARY, CLINIC
Most Reverend Roy E. Campbell, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C.
Mr. William Canny, Migration and Refugee Services, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn
Most Reverend Eusebio Elizondo, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle
Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, Bishop of El Paso

Most Reverend Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, Bishop of Diocese of Charleston
Rev. Michael J.K. Fuller, General Secretary, USCCB
Most Reverend Gerald Kicanas, Bishop Emeritus of Tucson
Mr. Francis J. Mulcahy, J.D., M.T.S, Georgia Catholic Conference
Mr. Vincent Pitta, Pitta LLP
Mr. Mark Palmer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Catholic Relief Services (Retired)
Ms. Gwen Mills, UNITE HERE (President)
Most Reverend George L. Thomas, Ph.D., Bishop of Las Vegas
Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski, Archbishop of Miami
Ms. Geraldine P. Carolan, Pro-bono Attorney, Georgia